After angering disgruntled soccer fans in 2023 who felt she was at too many games, Taylor Swift managed to antagonize men from another sport for apparently attending too few games. New York Knicks point guards Tyler Kolek and Miles “Deuce” McBride recently slammed the pop star as the “fake” fan of the 2026 NBA champions, accusing her and other celebrities of being “overachievers.”
In an excerpt from an NBA 2K TikTok livestream Deviated Posted Thursday, Nov. 5, the two played with game controllers while debating who they think is the least authentic celebrity Knicks fan. “Maybe Taylor Swift,” Kolek said, to which McBride offered, “I’d agree.”
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What defines a “fake” Knicks fan, in their eyes? “They just want to be seen at the game, they’re not necessarily fans,” Kolek noted. “I don’t know if I’ve seen her at any other games. The Swifties are going to hate me. I guess she has a lot going on, so she can’t come all the time. But it’s a bit performative.”
“The Swiftties won’t like that answer,” McBride said with a laugh as the two players shouted out Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan for their constant presence at Knicks games. “Everyone (except Swift) is generally solid.”
In a statement, a Knicks spokesperson said Billboard“Taylor Swift has been a Knicks fan for many years, has a long history with Madison Square Garden and we greatly appreciate her support of the organization.”
Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.
The 14-time Grammy winner was on hand during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, cheering on the Knicks alongside Mariska Hargitay, Este and Alana Haim in custom Knicks T-shirts. Before that, she also traveled with her husband Travis Kelce to attend an away game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It’s ironic that Swift — who, as Kolek generously pointed out, may have been a little busy this season, preparing to release the Billboard Hot 100 song “I Knew It, I Knew You” for Toy Story 5 the same month of the NBA Finals, among other projects, is now criticized for this reason. Not long ago, football fans expressed their displeasure with the number of times she was seen at NFL games when she began showing up to support Kelce.
“I think we all know that if there’s one thing that male sports fans want to see in their spaces and on their screens,” Swift then sarcastically joked about the outrage during her 2025 appearance on New heights“It’s not me anymore.”
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